Jagannath Pratah Smaran Stotram: Morning Remembrance of Lord Jagannath
Jagannath Pratah Smaran Stotram - Sanskrit Text
नीलाम्बुदश्यामलकान्तिकान्तं नीलाम्बुधेर्नीलगिरौ बसन्तम् ।
लीलामयं नीलसरोजनेत्रं देवं जगन्नाथमहं स्मरामि ॥१॥
संसारधातारमनन्तरूपं वेदान्तवेद्यं हृतपापतापम् ।
प्रातश्च सायं च तमेकनाथं वन्दे जगन्नाथमनाथनाथम् ॥२॥
दीनार्तिनाशं करुणाविलासं सत्यप्रकाशं हृदयैकवासम् ।
श्रीशं परेशं जगदीशमीशं वन्दे जगन्नाथमनाथनाथम् ॥३॥
हिरण्यपूर्वं कशिपुं निहन्तं सत्ये धृतं येन नृसिंहरूपम् ।
तमेवमाद्यं पुरुषाग्रगण्यं श्रीमज्जगन्नाथमहं प्रपद्ये ॥४॥
त्रेतायुगे रावणमेव हन्तुं रामस्वरूपं धृतवन्तमेकम् ।
धर्मावतारं भुवनैकवन्द्यं देवं जगन्नाथमहं स्मरामि ॥५॥
यो द्वापरे दैत्यविनाशनाय दधौ सुरम्यं यदुनाथवेशम् ।
तं राधिकानाथमनाथनाथं देवं जगन्नाथमहं भजामि ॥६॥
हन्तुं नराणामिह पापतापं कलौ धृतं येन हरेः स्वरूपम् ।
प्रातश्च सायं च तमेकनाथं देवं जगन्नाथमहं स्मरामि ॥७॥
हे देवदेव ! प्रभो विश्वनाथ ! श्रीमज्जगन्नाथ ! जगद्वरेण्य ! ।
मोहान्धकारैकविनाशसूर्यं प्रातस्त्वदीयं पदपद्ममीडे ॥८॥
Transliteration (Roman/IAST)
nīlāmbuda-śyāmala-kānti-kāntaṁ nīlāmbudher nīla-girau vasantam ।
līlāmayaṁ nīla-saroja-netraṁ devaṁ jagannātham ahaṁ smarāmi ॥1॥
saṁsāra-dhātāram ananta-rūpaṁ vedānta-vedyaṁ hṛta-pāpa-tāpam ।
prātaś ca sāyaṁ ca tam eka-nāthaṁ vande jagannātham anātha-nātham ॥2॥
dīnārti-nāśaṁ karuṇā-vilāsaṁ satya-prakāśaṁ hṛdayaika-vāsam ।
śrīśaṁ pareśaṁ jagad-īśam īśaṁ vande jagannātham anātha-nātham ॥3॥
hiraṇya-pūrvaṁ kaśipuṁ nihantaṁ satye dhṛtaṁ yena nṛsiṁha-rūpam ।
tam evam ādyaṁ puruṣāgra-gaṇyaṁ śrīmaj-jagannātham ahaṁ prapadye ॥4॥
tretā-yuge rāvaṇam eva hantuṁ rāma-svarūpaṁ dhṛtavantam ekam ।
dharmāvatāraṁ bhuvanaika-vandyaṁ devaṁ jagannātham ahaṁ smarāmi ॥5॥
yo dvāpare daitya-vināśanāya dadhau su-ramyaṁ yadu-nātha-veśam ।
taṁ rādhikā-nātham anātha-nāthaṁ devaṁ jagannātham ahaṁ bhajāmi ॥6॥
hantuṁ narāṇām iha pāpa-tāpaṁ kalau dhṛtaṁ yena hareḥ svarūpam ।
prātaś ca sāyaṁ ca tam eka-nāthaṁ devaṁ jagannātham ahaṁ smarāmi ॥7॥
he deva-deva prabho viśva-nātha śrīmaj-jagannātha jagad-vareṇya ।
mohāndha-kāraika-vināśa-sūryaṁ prātas tvadīyaṁ pada-padmam īḍe ॥8॥
Meaning
At dawn the devotee remembers Lord Jagannath: lovely with the dark radiance of a blue rain-cloud, dwelling on the blue hill (Nilachala) beside the blue ocean, full of divine play, with eyes like blue lotuses. He bows to him morning and evening as the sustainer of the world, of infinite forms, knowable through Vedanta, who removes the affliction of sin - the one Lord, the protector of the helpless. He salutes him as the destroyer of the suffering of the lowly, the play of compassion, the light of truth, the sole dweller in the heart, the lord of Lakshmi, the supreme ruler of the universe. He takes refuge in him who assumed the man-lion (Narasimha) form to slay Hiranyakashipu; remembers him who became Rama in the Treta age to destroy Ravana, the incarnation of dharma adored by all worlds; worships him who in the Dvapara age took the charming form of Krishna, lord of the Yadus and beloved of Radha, to destroy the demons; and remembers him who took the form of Hari in the Kali age to dispel the sins of men. Finally he prays: "O God of gods, lord of the universe, glorious Jagannath, most excellent in the world, sun that alone destroys the darkness of delusion - at dawn I praise your lotus feet."
About this Stotra
The Jagannath Pratah Smaran Stotram belongs to the genre of pratah-smaranam - hymns of "morning remembrance" recited at daybreak as the first devotional act of the day. This particular stotra centres on Lord Jagannath of Puri, beautifully weaving together his identity as the dark-hued deity of the Nilachala hill with his manifestations as the great avatars - Narasimha, Rama and Krishna - across the four ages. Its closing image of the Lord as the sun that destroys the darkness of delusion makes it perfectly suited to the dawn.
Significance & Spiritual Benefits
Beginning the day by remembering the Lord is held to purify the mind, set a sacred tone for all activity, and protect the devotee through the hours ahead. The hymn declares Jagannath the remover of sin and suffering and the protector of the helpless (anatha-natha), so its recitation is believed to dissolve negativity, dispel inner darkness and delusion, and invoke divine grace at the very start of the day. Remembering the Lord's avatars also reinforces faith in his repeated descent to uphold dharma.
Astrological Relevance
The stotra's central image of Jagannath as the "sun that destroys the darkness of delusion" links it naturally to Surya (the Sun), the karaka of the soul, vitality and clarity - making dawn recitation a fitting solar practice to strengthen the Sun and dispel mental dullness. As a Vishnu-Krishna hymn, it also carries the dharma-restoring grace of Guru (Jupiter). Its enumeration of the avatars who descend to destroy evil makes it protective against malefic influences, while remembering the Lord at sunrise - the Sun's own hour - supports confidence, well-being and the lifting of depressive, Saturn-linked heaviness. It is an excellent daily remedy for those seeking a luminous, protected start to the day.
How to Chant (Vidhi)
Rise before or at sunrise, bathe, and sit facing east. As the very first act of the day, recite the stotra with a calm, devotional mind, ideally before an image of Lord Jagannath, visualising his dark, lustrous form dispelling the night's darkness. A lamp may be lit. No elaborate ritual is needed - the essence is heartfelt remembrance at dawn. Conclude by bowing to the Lord's feet.
Best Day & Time
Daily at dawn (Brahma Muhurta or sunrise) is the ideal practice, since it is a morning-remembrance hymn. Thursday and Ekadashi, and the Jagannath festivals such as Ratha Yatra, add special potency.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Pratah Smaran Stotram?
It is a "morning remembrance" hymn, recited at daybreak as the first devotional act of the day to purify the mind and invoke the Lord's grace for the hours ahead.
Which avatars does this stotra mention?
It remembers Narasimha (who slew Hiranyakashipu), Rama (who destroyed Ravana in the Treta age), Krishna (the Dvapara-age lord of the Yadus and beloved of Radha), and the form of Hari who removes sin in the Kali age.
Why is it best recited at dawn?
Its closing verse describes the Lord as the sun that destroys the darkness of delusion, making sunrise - when darkness gives way to light - the most fitting time to recite it.
Greeting Jagannath at Dawn on Nilachala
The Jagannath Pratah Smaran Stotram belongs to the ancient tradition of pratah-smaran, the practice of filling the first moments of wakefulness with the Lord's sacred memory. Devoted to the dark-hued Lord of Puri, this morning hymn contemplates Jagannath not as a single aspect of the divine but as the very source of all avatars -- Narasimha, Rama, and Krishna flow into him as rivers into the sea. Devotees of the Puri kshetra have long recited such stotrams before sunrise, believing that the merit earned in those liminal hours between night and day is especially potent. The hymn is particularly beloved during the great Rath Yatra season and on Ekadashi mornings.
What distinguishes this composition is its meditative sweep: it holds the grandeur of Nilachala's presiding deity while keeping the tone intimate, the devotee recalling the Lord as a beloved presence rather than a distant sovereign. In the Jyotish tradition, Jagannath is associated with the Sun, the giver of light and consciousness, and morning recitation of solar-inflected hymns is considered auspicious for those seeking clarity, vitality, and spiritual vision. A warm takeaway for every practitioner: beginning the day in the Lord's remembrance sets the entire arc of daily life within the shelter of grace.